1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to roof ventilation devices, and, more particularly, to a roof vent ingress prevention device including a generally tubular base member with at least one side vent and a mesh vent cap mounted on and atop the tubular base member that prevents the ingress of foreign objects into the venting system and allows for dissipation of occluded gases.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The majority of household plumbing systems include some sort of vent pipe which extends above the roof of the dwelling to vent sewer gases from the plumbing system. It is important that the vent pipe remain unclogged to properly vent the gases, and it has been found that debris and animals can enter the vent pipe and cause the pipe to become nonfunctional. There are numerous devices found in the prior art which are intended to prevent the entry of animals or debris into the roof vent of a plumbing system. For example, there are several older devices that are intended to perform such functions, including Levy, U.S. Pat. No. 926,704, Harrington, U.S. Pat. No. 421,098 and Breen, U.S. Pat. No. 809,667. Other more recent inventions include Wilkerson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,453, Rasksen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,928 and Painter, U.S. Pat. No. 3,456,573, each of which are to be fitted onto pipes to prevent ingress of animals and debris into the pipe which might cause the sewer pipe to become clogged and inoperable.
However, each of the devices found in the prior art has inherent deficiencies which do not fully address the problems encountered with vent pipes, as each of the prior art devices still can clog and render the pipe nonfunctional.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved roof vent ingress prevention device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved roof vent ingress prevention device which may be quickly and easily mounted on the roof vent in a generally secure manner to prevent ingress into the roof vent.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved roof vent ingress prevention device which includes not only side vents for gas but also top vents for gas to permit adequate venting of gas from the roof vent.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved roof vent ingress prevention device which is cost-effective and durable in manufacture and is simple and efficient in use.